I dont know what DAC chip is in my HD12. The chip may be important but when you look up these chips at mouser they are dirt cheap. Obviously the circuit design is far more important.   I tried many DACs and just couldn't get into digital music. The HD 12 has me listening to tons of digital...

You are probably right. I am Canadian. We like European gear.

I have the HD12 going right now. Its a very good DAC. Tried the Teac 501 - hated it. Then the Teac 503 .. meh, ok. The Hegel actually sounds like music. I also like the simplicity. Headphone out isnt the best but it isnt bad either. 

Had a 503 on loan. It was much better thn the 501 I had before it. But I still wasnt overly impressed. The 503 sounds a little weak and seems to loose some low end. Just my listening tests. Nothing scientific. I disliked the 501 quite a bit and felt it harsh. The 503 I could probably live with...

I tried one. It was OK. Had the 501 to demo before it. Didnt like the 501. That was cold and sterile big time to me. The 503 was much better but I still felt it weak and both Teacs seems to rob the low end.   Just my non scientific listenting tests. I am a vinyl guy. Heck I even prefer tape to...

Wow no replies.   I had the UD503 to demo. It was better than teh 501 for sure. I did not like the 501. But it sounded "light" to me. I really dont get into measurements. I like vinyl. If I could get that full punchy vinyl sound in a DAC I would be happy. I didnt get that with the 503.   Sim...

I don't know where any confusion comes from.   Japanese vinyl were almost always better. The reason - better vinyl. Japanese consumer standards are higher than ours. Sad but true. Pressing plants used virgin vinyl. In America we got vinyl that used to be other things like pop bottles etc...

CD's are way more expensive in Japan than America. Everything media is actually - books, scores, DVD ... the market prices there are 2-3 times what we pay.   However Japanese expectations are much higher across the board as well. Shopping in Japan is a treat. Here are home you get lazy...

I have a 1001 playstation and yes its a good CD player. Its not the greatest though as there is a rolloff on both bass and treble. Bass is light but tight. The signal is also weaker than any CD player I compared. You need to turn the amp up quite a bit. No big deal as I didn't notice any extra...